Holley wants recount in Roselle primary

Jamel Holley is seeking a recount after losing the Democratic primary for mayor of Roselle by 76 votes to incumbent Donald Shaw.

Shaw won 1,484 to 1,408, a margin of two percentage points.

The Holley campaign said the primary “has been plagued with irregularities that have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the result.”

According to a court filing today, Holley says there are 77 disqualified undervotes and overvotes, a number that exceeds Shaw’s margin.

“A considerable number of additional irregularities have transpired in the course of the Election, such as voters receiving the wrong mail-in ballots by party and municipality, disabled voters being prevented from voting with assistance from caretakers, a voting machine overheating causing voter slow-down, a machine not set up properly and closing early in Ward 3, a Ward 3 election official behaving erratically and giving inconsistent information to the Holley campaign, an unusual amount of provisional ballots being applied, and Shaw himself engaging in voter intimidation by threatening another candidate and nearly getting in a physical altercation outside of a voting location,” Holley’s attorney, Jonathan Cohen, said in his court filing.

The Holley campaign said it “has no choice but to institute this legal action to ensure that the voters of the Borough of Roselle can be assured that the election was conducted properly and decided fairly.”

A former mayor and assemblyman, Holley sought to revive his political career with a nearly successful off-the-line campaign for mayor against Shaw.